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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. last — final
  4. kick — in football
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fork — in a road
  15. last — to go on
  16. object — to protest
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com